This invention relates to motorized roller skates or the like. More particularly, this invention relates to such skates which upon a voice command may be transformed from a powered skating configuration to a walking configuration.
Many attempts have been made at powering items such as roller skates, skate boards and the like. Essentially, all such attempts have involved strapping a motor, or even a small combustion engine, to the body of the user, and through some type of drive cable, powering the wheels of the skates. These devices are, for the most part, not only heavy and uncomfortable, but also they involve numerous components which are difficult and costly to produce and assemble. As a result, the costs to the user far outweigh the benefit enjoyed by the utilization of powered skates.
In addition, in most of the prior art motorized devices, the user had very little, if any, braking or speed control. Of more importance, the skates could not be converted to walking devices at the whim of the user.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide roller skates or the like which can be selectively powered at the desire of the user or which can be transformed for walking.
It is another object of the present invention to provide roller skates, as above, in which a shoe platform is pivotable from a walking configuration to a motorized skating configuration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide roller skates, as above, which can be powered by a motor which is voice controlled to start, accelerate, decelerate, stop or convert to the walking configuration.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide roller skates, as above, which can be powered without the need for the user to carry heavy motor components and without the need for drive cables.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide roller skates, as above, which are constructed of a minimal number of components which are easily assembled and economically affordable for the user.
These and other objects of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art forms, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.
In general, a skate made in accordance with one aspect of the present invention includes a base plate which carries drive wheels. A platform plate is pivotally connected to the base plate and has a pad thereon. An aperture is formed in the base plate. A motor is provided to drive the wheels. When the platform plate is adjacent to the base plate, the pad extends through the aperture of the base plate.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the motor has a housing with external threads. A collar is provided with threads to engage the threads of the motor housing. When the motor is powered in one direction, the wheels are rotated, and when powered in the other direction, the motor rotates to lower the collar relative to the housing so that the platform plate may pivot relative to the base plate.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the wheels are carried by a drive shaft having a gear thereon. The motor has a threaded shaft which engages the gear of the drive shaft. The drive shaft is journalled in unidirectional bearings which allow the drive shaft to turn only in one direction to rotate the wheels when the motor is activated in one direction, and when the motor is activated in the other direction, the platform plate is pivoted relative to the base plate.